A LAST CHANCE TO SAVE DESPOILATION OF THE DANUBE DELTA?

The Ukrainian Parliament's National Safety Committee meeting which is to decide whether or not to route a deep water canal through the Danube Delta biosphere reserve has been postponed to the end of May. This may be because the 5th Pan-European Environment Ministers Meeting of the "Environment for Europe" process is to be held in the capital of the Ukraine, Kiev, from 21 - 23 May 2003.

This gives us all an opportunity to lobby European Union Environment Ministers, the responsible Commissioner and national MEPs.

You can add your support by sending the draft text below, to the addresses of ministers. MEPs addresses are on Proact site http://www.proactnow.org/ppsi/id34.html.

More publicity for the campaign with the background arguments will be published shortly at http://www.surfbirds.com/cgi-bin/editornews/print.pl

___________________________

DRAFT LETTER TEXT

Dear Minister,

The news reaching us from scientists and conservationists in the Ukraine is dismaying.

For a year and a half now the Ukrainian National Academy of Sciences, together with environmental NGOs, have been resisting the attempts of the Ukrainian Ministry of Transport to construct a deep-water ship canal through the Bystroe Estuary within the strictly protected zone of the Danube Biosphere reserve. In December 2002, more than 300 organizations from 64 countries also sent letters of support to the Ukrainian President. Sadly it appears as though this widespread and informed opposition is having little effect on the transport planners and lobbyists even though an alternative, environmentally more acceptable deep-water route is available.

The facts are that:

The canal construction will irreversibly change the hydrological regime of the delta and threaten the habitat and survival of protected and endangered species in the reserve

The deepening of one of the central branches of the Danube for shipping lanes will irreversibly eliminate a total of 5.600 hectares of channel, lake and coastal shallow waters. This will destroy the nesting and staging sites of tens of thousands of birds including 5 species on the European Red List and 31 in the Ukraine Red Book. The habitats of many rare and disappearing species of mammals and insects are also threatened.

The proposed construction project breaches both national legislation and Ukrainian international obligations in the field of conservation.

We urge you, as responsible commissioners and environmental ministers of the European Union, to use the occasion of the fifth Pan-European Environment Ministers' Meeting in Kiev at the end of May to raise this matter with your Ukrainian hosts and persuade them to review their stance in this matter.

In the context of an ever-expanding politically unified Europe it is more than ever important to use such windows of opportunity to rescues what remains of our common but shrinking natural heritage.

We remain,

Yours sincerely,

Addresses

ENVIRONMENT MINISTERS OF EU STATES

Austria
Mag. Wilhelm Molterer
Minister for Agriculture, Forestry, Environment and Water Management
Stubenring 1
A-1012 Wien
Austria
Email: wilhelm.molterer@bmlfuw.gv.at

Belgium
M. Jef Tavernier
Minister for Consumer Protection, Public Health and the Environment
Kunstlaan 6-9
Avenue des Arts
B-1210 Brussels
Belgium
Fax: +32 2220 2067
E-mail: jef.tavernier@minsoc.fed.be

Denmark
Mr Hans Christian Schmidt
Minister for the Environment
Hojbro Plads 4
DK-1200 Copenhagen K
Denmark
Email mim@mim.dk

Finland
Mr Satu Hassi
Minister for the Environment
P.O. Box 35
FIN-00023 Government
Finland
Fax: +358 9 1603 9545
Email: kirjaamo.ym@ymparisto.fi

France
Mme Roselyne BACHELOT-NARQUIN
Minister for Ecology and Sustainable Development
20 avenue de Segur
75302 Paris 07 SP
France
Email: ministere@environnement.gouv.fr

Germany
An den Bundesminister fuer Umwelt-, Naturschutz und Reaktorsicherheit
Juergen Trittin
Alexanderplatz 6
10178 Berlin
Germany
Fax: 49 (0)30 1888 305 2044
www.bmu.de (there is a e-mail formular for direct response) or Email: service@bmu.de

Greece
Mr Vasso Papandreou
Minister for the Environment, Regional Planning and Public Works
17, Amaliados str.
115 23 Athens
Greece
e-mail: minister@minenv.gr

Ireland
Mr Martin Cullen
Minister for the Environment and Local Government
The Custom House
Dublin 1
Ireland
Fax: +353 1 888 2888
Email: press-office@environ.irlgov.ie

Italy
Mr Altero Matteoli
Minister for the Environment and Protection of Natural Resources
Email: segreteria.ministro@minambiente.it

Luxembourg
M. Charles Goerens
Minister for the Environment
18 Montee de la Petrusse
L - 2327
Luxembourg
Fax: +352 40 04 10
Email: info@sip.etat.lu

Portugal
Mr Isaltino MORAIS
Minister for Towns, Regional Planning and the Environment
Rua de O Seculo 51
1200-433 Lisboa
Portugal
Fax: +351 213 231 539
E-mail: gmcota@mcota.gov.pt

Spain
Sr. D. Jaume Matas Palou
Minister for the Environment
Pza. San Juan de la Cruz s/n,
28017 Madrid
Spain
Email: area.informacion@vgt.mma.es

Sweden
Lena Sommestad
Minister for the Environment
SE-103 33 Stockholm
Sweden
Fax: + 46 8 21 96 28
Email: registrator@environment.ministry.se

The Netherlands
Cees Veerman
Minister for Agriculture, Nature Management and Fisheries
Email: Use the contact form at
http://www.minlnv.nl/international/feedback/

United Kingdom
Rt. Hon Margaret Beckett MP
Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs
Ergon House
17 Smith Square
London
SW1P 3JR
United Kingdom
Fax: 020 7238 6591
Email: helpline@defra.gsi.gov.uk

RESPONSIBLE EU COMMISSIONER
Margot Wallstrom
Commissioner for the Environment
B-1049 Brussels
Belgium
Fax: + 322 2981899
Email: Margot.Wallstrom@cec.eu.int